Month: November 2019

WASHINGTON —  A lack of permanent leadership and high attrition under the Trump administration is hurting the federal government’s third-largest agency, the Homeland Security Department’s inspector general warned in a new report. The agency’s internal watchdog ranked the leadership vacancies and hiring difficulties among the most serious challenges facing the Homeland Security Department in the annual…

San Diego developer Doug Manchester is at the center of a possible “pay-to-play” solicitation from the Republican National Committee, which reportedly sought a $500,000 contribution from him as the U.S. Senate considered his ambassadorship. Manchester told CBS News in a report broadcast Monday that national committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel asked him for the donation in…

Hello and welcome to another edition of the L.A. Times soccer newsletter. I’m Kevin Baxter, the Times’ soccer writer. With the MLS season over, we’ll start this week with the U.S. national team which, depending on your point of view, either 1) pulled out of its tailspin with last week’s win over Canada or 2)…

The Lakers are taking the fan engagement up a notch this season where fans can win prizes and enter sweepstakes by simply picking the correct outcomes during games. The Lakers and GTG Network, a sports gamification and content provider, have partnered up to launch a free-to-play prediction and fan engagement game customized for Lakers fans…

With its future now secured, Force India will resume the development of its VJM11 and hopefully implement a series of important upgrades as soon as Spa at the end of the month. The Silverstone-based outfit’s depressed financial affairs had forced the team to put on hold the introduction of new-spec parts, a restriction that hampered…

Horse racing, in the midst of an equine fatality crisis, will announce Tuesday the formation of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, in the hopes of promoting enhanced protocols in the sport. The group includes the three main racing organizations — the Stronach Group, Churchill Downs Inc. and the New York Racing Assn. — plus the Breeders’…

MEXICO CITY —  They limited Patrick Mahomes to his least productive first half as an NFL quarterback. They caught Kansas City on a night when wide receiver Tyreek Hill was injured early and contributed no catches and zero yards. The Chargers also benefited from the Chiefs losing two of their top running backs — Damien Williams…

Lifelong horse lover Opal Hagerty of Escondido didn’t want to die without a final trail ride ESCONDIDO —  When 95-year-old Opal Hagerty showed up last week for her horse-drawn carriage ride in Temecula, she was nattily dressed in a fringed suede jacket and a cowboy hat. For much of the Escondido cowgirl’s life, horseback riding had…

In a now-familiar warning, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. notified hundreds of thousands of customers Monday that it may shut off power amid dry and windy conditions posing an increased fire risk. The utility said 303,000 customers in parts of 25 counties in the Sierra foothills and north Bay Area — including Alameda, Butte, El…

SACRAMENTO —  With the threat of another power outage looming, state lawmakers hammered Pacific Gas & Electric at the state Capitol on Monday for botching shut-offs that left millions of Californians in the dark this fall and blamed the company for failing to upgrade its system over time. During an all-day hearing that included testimony from…